Rabbit Hole
by lone astronomer
Summary: Angela's nagging about Booth is starting to get to her. In true Brennan fashion, she ignores the concept of subtlety when bringing this up with him.


Rabbit Hole

Disclaimer: "Bones" belongs to Fox/Kathy Reichs. I'm making no profit and no copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: Angela's really been getting on Brennan's case about the whole Booth thing. In true Brennan fashion, she lacks all subtlety when bringing this up with him.

Rabbit Hole

"Booth?"

"What?"

Brennan takes one sweet, precious moment to think of all the nasty things she wishes would happen to Angela Montenegro in retribution for planting this stupid idea in her head. Then she says, too loudly, "I think we should have sex."

Interesting. It seems that Booth is _choking_ on that alcohol he's just tried to swallow. She pats him on the back until he stops coughing. "What?!"

Now comes the difficult part. Temperance isn't much of a salesperson, having virtually no people skills to speak of. "Angela says our unresolved sexual tension issues are distracting the rest of the team. That the situation will be less awkward if we resolve those issues so we can concentrate better on our cases."

Booth looks, almost longingly, at the glass in front of him. Apparently he thinks he has had enough, because he makes no move to take a drink, just turns towards her incredulously. "Did she forget to take her medication?"

Brennan frowns, unsure of herself for the first time since beginning this awkward conversation. "I don't know what that means."

"It means 'is she crazy?'" Evidently the alcohol is more tempting than she originally gave it credit for, because all of a sudden Booth is knocking back the rest of the glass. "Why would she say that?"

If Temperance is being honest with herself – a luxury she allows in the lab, but which is sometimes cast aside for practical reasons outside of it – she can think of a few pretty good reasons. But she isn't sure she can make the case to Booth, even if she wants to, which she's not sure she does. "I don't know. Angela says we do this eye..." _Eyefuck,_ her memory supplies; she ignores it, "thing. She thinks I look at you differently from the way I look at her, which I don't understand. Of course I look at you differently. You're taller than I am! I'll never understand artists."

Agent Booth, she notes, seems to be having trouble stringing words together. And that is strange; it is only his third glass of scotch. Aside from his usual need for an interpreter for scientific jargon, he doesn't usually exhibit signs of impaired communication skills until well into his sixth. "Oh," he says at last. "Really?"

She nods. "She also said your Alpha Male pheromones are giving Zach and Hodgins tension headaches and that Zach has to leave the room every time you come in."

This draws a slight frown. She ignores the sudden urge to smooth the lines between his eyebrows. "Do humans even _have_ pheromones?"

Brennan straightens. Booth doesn't usually ask her to explain complicated biological processes; normally he just wants the abridged version. This will be an excellent opportunity to instil in him some kind of respect for her field. "Actually, according to a study done by --"

"Never mind."

Her good mood – and her confidence – flags. "So you don't want to sleep with me?"

Booth opens and closes his mouth a few times without saying anything. "Are you asking me to have sex with you because Angela said you should or because _you_ want to?"

Uh oh. Temperance is pretty sure she isn't going to get away with anything other than the truth on that one. Time to change the subject. "Wait, why does that matter?"

He is reaching for his suit jacket now, and rolling his eyes. By the looks of things, this "sexual tension" is a problem she isn't going to be able to resolve tonight. "Because I don't sleep with women who let other women dictate their sex lives." Then he leans down close enough to brush her ear with his mouth and suddenly she has a very convincing argument in favour of human pheromones. "And that friends with benefits thing? That is so not happening."

Booth stands again, leaving her slightly dazed as he adjusts his suit. "Goodnight, Temperance," he says with a wicked grin, and seconds later she watches him walk out the door.

_I don't know what that means,_ she thinks to herself as her partner disappears into the night. But the real problem is that she wants to find out.


End file.
